Week 27 (Bali & South Australia)

12/21

Slept in till 10. Breakfasted with pizza. Updating blog now. Everybody is packing to go his/her own way. Bit sad... Im about to move to a cheaper hotel at Poppies lane I. Still have to pack. Walk with my lugage, however small it is, does not appeal to me in this heat.

The move to the other hotel went smooth (except for some assshole who tried to rip me off, when changing some last euro's, but i found out what he was up to, so he paid the too high rate. Serves him right). Back to the old hotel to say goodbye to everybody. It made me feel strange and sad too., a bit empty and sad too. All in all they have been good company. Back to my new hotel. Beach, nice fu young hai, updating the media now.

Did a long stroll in the evening, saw New Castle - Sunderland in the bar next door, Star Trekked and slept good.


12/22

Woke up at 9, simple, but nice breakfast at the hotel (included), then the 7th day at the beach. At my favourite place, where they serve cheap food and a fantastic Cafe Latte. Walked back through drizzling rain, showered, trying to contact James now. For a first reunion. Lol. They stay close to here. But the wifi lets me down.
I will try the bar next door.
Laterz.

James and Melissa arrived round 8.30 PM. We had (as expected a good chat, did the picture, and (again) we said goodbye.

I went for a last beer to a nice live music bar and went to sleep at 12, over a star trek episode.


12/23

Slept in, breakfasted, packed and stored my luagage at the hotel and beached for the next few hours. Of course i had my last latte´s and indonesian food at Sue´s (my favourite little beach restaurant) and returned to the hotel at 17.00. The arranged taxi took me to DPS airport. Check in went amazingly fast (despite the fact that i bought a price fighter´s ticket). I spend the last hours and rupiah´s in the airport with Made (i met her there). Flight went good and i arrived at Adelaide at ....

12/24

...where Jan Schutter was to pick me up. He drove me to his (very nice) house (where i met his wife Jeannette) and then... breakfasted and slept till 12.30H.
I felt incredibly welcome. What a hospitable people.
In the afternoon we went to Belair Park, where we spotted 30 Kuala´s. They cute, but stupid. Amazing that they haven´t gone extinct.

Back at their house we did some floating drinks...

And a very nice dinner at a local restaurant. A last glass of (very good) South Australian wine finalized the day. Slept very good (In my own part of their house) after having updated all the media.


12/25

Merry Xmas to all of you (never felt so unXmassed as now, but hey... )...

Woke up at 8, breakfasted, packed and off to Rawsley Park, where we are now. Drove for several hours and had a nice little hike at Groce View where we had a late lunch too.

Drove 3 more hours (loads of dead animals along the way (mainly kangaroos, but emoe´s and foxes too... really sad))

Then arrived at our house at Rawslay park. A beer, a good conversation and a feeling of happiness is what filled the last 2 hours. About to BBQ now....

Jan and Jeannette are such great hosts... i don´t know how ever to repay them... Fantastic people.
We´re about to BBQ now (and it smells soooo good). On top of that, i just tasted their home made wine ... guess... indeed ... brilliant!
Laterz...


12/26

Woke up at 9 or so, great breakfast, and then on our way. First a good viewpoint...

Then big time animal spotting (mainly Kangaroos and Emoes). Pictures say more than words, so...

On the way back it happened.... the Kangaroo was just there... one big leap out of nowhere. It was his last. Frontal collision... We all felt horrible, but really... nothing that could have beeen done.

Diner at the local restaurant (Woolshed) with 2 bottles of Seven Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. Believe me you notice it. Both on the same night as the next morning. It was such good fun though. Jan laughed, tears down his cheeks, when reviving the memories of the "Dik voor mekaar show".
Midnight.. finally went to sleep.


12/27

Woke up at 9 with a hangover that disappeared immediately when we ate another great breakfast. Typecal English one: Eggs, Bacon, Sausages. Love that.

Then slowly travelled back to Adelaide, but not without... wine tasting. A very nice (new for me) experience. We did 2 winaries, where we tatsed 5 or 6 wines (you just sip, no worries) and indeed, i could tell the difference between the wines (Jan had given me a quick course in the different grapes and how to distinguish them). I think i found a new (expensive) hobby, coz i did like it a lot more then i ever thought i would.

We arrived home at six. Ate (at home, left overs). I tried to book my flight to Sydney, but... digital misery al over. Watched the news and went to bed ... where i couldn't catch the sleep. Read until 3 AM. And slept really well after that.

Week 26 (Malaysia & Indonesia)

12/14


Woke up at 9.30 or so. Media, breakfast, read, tried to walk to the botanical gardens for the 2nd time and... yeah! Succes. It was a bit of a let down however. And far too hot.
On the way back a huge poordown, which made me shelter for more than 40 minutes. Hard time to find the way back. Got myself a cheesy french fries (Yum, is that known in Holland already?) at Burger King, back to the guesthouse, made soup, read, slept on the couch of the balcony, showered, update blog now. Going to publish week 25 too now.
Laterz...

Did a Big Tiger & a great Sweet&Sour pork in China Town. Watched Man U - Liverpool in the Guesthouse. Slept round 11.30.


12/15

Woke up at 9.00 or so. Breakfasted, Starbucks coffee, Subway sandwich, Last shoppings (candy for on the road), took the bus to KLIA2 (KL International Airport 2) (1.5 hour drive!). Far too early here at the airport (as usual), so... checked in too early too (had boarding pass already printed out ... it is convenient; can't deny that). Now updating blog near a very expensive Burger King (a whopper is very tempting though). Waiting for my flight to Den Pasar, Bali... and waiting... <yawn!>. Laterz.

Well, there was free wifi, so... FB-ed my ass off. And ate a whopper. Finally.
Checked in at 7.15, boarded at 7.50, departed 20 minutes too late at 8.50 or so. In the air now.

Landed at 23.45, found the others straight away (other flight, but same landing time), passport control and checks went really quick. Waited for the hotels driver for a while and went to Asoka Hotel. Great place, with a dutch speaking manager (weird guy though), sipped two beers and slept like two logs.



12/16, 17 & 18

Sleeping in, long walks along the beach, nice food, swimming in the sea, good chats with fellow travellers, and relaxing days. Lots of rain everyday! Cools it down bit. Everybody is (perhaps unawarely) preparing for the big goodbye I think. No complaints, lots of laughter, no irritations, hugs, ...
Found a nice room for the extra 2 days (12/21&22) I spend here, when the rest has gone.
Laterz.


12/19

Slept like a log again. Rooms are so comfortable. Today i have to swap rooms with Corrine, since her husband comes in. I have to share again. With Canadian Alli. There goes the privacy. She's a nice woman though.
Sitting here in the humid (Laptop is wet) updating blog and trying to connect to the internet. No succes so far. Do some breakfast shopping first now I think.
Laterz...
Days pass by going to the beach, sipping beers, conversations with fellow travelers, and very good sleeps (since the rooms are so comfortable).


12/20

Another day on the beach, where i was washed away by heavy rain though.
In the evening there was the farewell party. We ordered pizza at the pool. Nice!

Silly Face Group Picture

Matt was there too.
Slept for the last time in this hotel.

Week 25 (Thailand and Malaysia)

12/7

The drive to the border was a long one, but a good one. Felt nice to be on the
road again. Drove to a little town close to the border. Arrived round 7.30 PM.
Checked in and unpacked (which is done in 5 mins now, since i carry less and less
on me). Got something to eat with Canadian Alli (great chicken, with a supermarket
beer (muslim, so no official beer selling)). Good sleep.


12/8

Crossed the border without problems. Changed money, ATMs, sipped coffee and
arrived in Georgetown (on the Panang peninsula in the north west of Malaysia) at
17.00h (or so).
Installed in hotelroom, strolled through china town, little India and ended up in
a nice, fancy restaurant for a cappicino and a splendid  view over the harbor,
where a fantastic thunderstorm started.  It kept on raining for hours, so i
decided to leave, found my way to a great food plaza, eat a great sushi there and
went back to the hotel for a shower.
At 9 i picked up Dennis for a last (err... 2) beers at the same food plaza. He
stayed, i pretended to be wise and slept a good 8 hours.


12/9

Slept in til 9.30 (1 hour time difference), strolled to find a decent breakfast
(rice and some chicken), found a decent wifi connection to do the media and
received my confirmation for my Australian visa. Slept again (!!), strolled, got
lost, but didn't care... got even loster in a huge shopping mall. Found my way
back, thanks to a german backpacker with a map (thanks dude). Showered.
Food plaza again: Big Tiger beer with spicy seafood (wowow, love that). Stroll,
last beer. Now updating. Tomorrow last drive in the truck, but.. leave at 7 AM
so... Arvo Part, star trek and sleep. See ya. (Now i want you to ask yourself:
What the F... is Arvo Part?).


12/10

Drive to KL went really fast, so arrived in KL at 13.00 or so. Settled down in
hostl (dorm), unpacked and made a great trip with Dennis: huge mall, coffee at
Starbucks, monorail train to china town, checking out ho(s)tels for my staying
here after the group left, bought a good aftershave, strolled back to our hotel
area, sipped two chang beers. Then Dave, Greg and Ozzie Alli joined.
Slept for a short while, strolled again (centre of KL is actually one huge
shopping mall)

Had a beer in a bar next door. And a second one since it started
to downpoor like unbelievable. Went to bed at 11 or so, startrekked, but could not
catch the sleep (too warm, bad aircon/ventalation).


12/11

Woke up at 8.30,, booked my ticket to Denpasar (yes, i will go to Bali, but from
KL (and not from Singpore, like the rest)), breakfasted, did the media, checked in my
ticket to get a boardingpass on line (which took ages), then did a long stroll to
my new hostel, reseved and payed for the coming 3 nights, strolled back, had a
great burger at Subways, booked another ticket from Den pasar to Adelaide, got my
laundry, showered, shaved, and went for a beer and food.
Found my way to the Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC as they're called here). Amazing.
And shopping malls all over the place again.

Will go back there during daylight.
Walked back to have a last drink with my travel mates, who will leave for
Singapore tomorrow. Will meet them again on the 15th on Bali if all goes according
to plan. Updated blog and now... ssllleeeppp... <yawn>. Laterzzzz....


12/12

Woke up early to say goodbye to the rest of the group. Hope to see them again in
Bali on the 15th (or early 16th), except for Jean, Ozzie Alli and Greg, since
they're not going to Bali. May see them in Oz though.

Went back to bed to sleep for 2 more hours, did a big breakfast, packed my stuff
and moved to the Stepinn guesthouse, where im now. Basic, but very friendly and
cosy.
Did a long stroll to find the botanic gardens in the afternoon, but got lost. Back
to guesthouse, read Dan Browne book (in dutch ... they had it here), slept a
little, then another stroll ending up in ... a very nice restaurant in china town,
over a fantastic beef fried noodles and a Tiger beer. A huge thunderstorm started
which provided a spectacular view. Moments of complete hapiness. Strooled some
more, drank a coffee at the guesthouse, another beer and an early night of sleep.
updated the media in bed.


12/13

Woke up early, chated with friends, simple breakfast at the guesthouse. Long
stroll to the Petronas Twin Towers (again) or the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Conference
Centre) as they're called here. Also went to the KLCC Aquaria, which was
absolutely stunning. You literally walked between the sharks (tunnels through the
(huge) fish tanks. Absolutely loved it.

Strolled back, slept for 30 mins, showered, shopped, going to update my blog now.
Too far behind (or is that a dutchism?). Laterz...

And so i did. Week 23 and 24. And this is the last day of week 25, so tomorrow
week 25 too. Had two big Tigers after updating, came back in the guesthouse and
watched the end of the movie "The Escape" with the other guests. Could not sleep
very well. Don't know why. Listened to music and FB-ed for a long time.

Week 24 (Thailand)

11/30

Early rise. Supposed to go on the road at 7, but.. some delay made a quick
breakfast still possible. Carlos left the group, which caused some err.. let's say
consternation. No goodbeys, just left. He's a strange guy.

In the truck again now. Lots of space, coz there's only 13 of us left. Feels so
good to be on the road again. To Kachanaburi. Finally a city i don't know yet.
Laterz...

Arrived here round 13.30. Nice place. Bridge over the river Kwai is to be seen.
Strolled to a huge market. Big festivals here too. Ran a few K's, showered, ate
and went to see football in a bar, surrounded by local beauties. I bought one of
them a drink and she (Noi) sticked around me for the rest of the evening. No,
nothing else! Went to sleep at midnight.


12/1

It's Hermans brithday (my best friend, who passed away in 2006, far too early at the age of just 45). Miss him terribly.

Anyhow, woke up late. A bit hung over (despite the fact that i didn't drink that
much... hmm, getting older). Did the media extensively. Now of for breakfast and
money. Laterz.

Went to the bridge over the river Kwai with Dennis.

<Dennis pics>

It was so hot, that we went back, to hide in our airconned rooms. Slept for
another hour there. Not smart, since we have to leave tomoorow at 6.00 h.

Watched the fireworks at 8. Had a small beer afterwards and slept early over an
star trek episode.


12/2

Early rise and a long, long drive that went well though. Arrived in Surat Thani
for a one night stand in a hotel. Dennis Corrine, Dave, Marianne and I had diner
togetther. Dennis and I crossed the bridge afterwards to find a huge bazaar and
sipped 1 more big chang there. Slept good.


12/3

Woke up at 7.15, breakfasted, and left for the paradiselike island of Koh Samui.
Arrived at the ferry round 10, 1.5 hour fare to the island.

When we arrived it poored. Ok, got a big van for all 12 of us. Hotel is splendid, beach, swimming
pool, lazy tourist. Love it here and hope to enjoy for a days or 3. Laterz.

Slept! (really?, yes really). Beached, pooled, FBed, Shopped (well, 7-11 that is),
ate, played a little guitar (so bad!), went out for a last beer and to my
ashtonishment: not much to do up here. Well, there's always star trek episodes.
Laterz.


12/4

Slept like a log and woke up at 9! Yeah!. Went to the supermarket to make my own
breakfast. Breakfasted on my veranda.

Updated blog, news and media. Now off to the beach. It's a though life... ;-)


12/5 & 6

3 days of lazyness. Sipping cocktails/beers. Sea, sand and sun. Thai food, premier
league football matches.

Nice for a change. My last days with the group. Tomorrow at the border with
Malaysia, then 3 days KL, where i stay and say goodbye. Then almost 4 months on my
own to do Australia and the Philippines. I'll keep u all posted. Laterz.

Week 23 (Vietnam & Thailand)

11/23 & 24


Daily routines develop: Sleep in, long strolls in the morning (when it's still
sunny), late breakfast with superb cooffee, sport in the afternoon, Then Heavy
rainfall, Like really heavy (mouson season is gone, but stilll heavy rain every
late afternoon), shower, eat, drink, watch football in a bar. It's nice to settle
down for a while.


11/25

L'histoire se repeat.... Met up with the dutchies again...It's very unhealthy ...
;-) . We're having nice times though.


11/26

Hung over, slept untill 10.30, showered, packed, breakfasted, tea while waiting
for the airport taxi, check in, now waiting to board for my flight to BKK.
Laterz...

Flight went well, despite the fact that i had to convince the manager that i was
flying in and leaving Thailand by bus (truck). That took some time, but arrived here
sound and safe.
Took a train and the backseat of a scooter to get to Koh San  Road (backpackers
area). The scooter fare was... well, to be honest i almost shit myself... But a
good driver it was. Despite that i know the area fairly well, it took me half an
hour to find the hotel of the rest of the group.
Did a stroll, met Dave, Dennis, Corrine and Shaz on KSR (and celebtrated that with
a beer obviously), went to bed to get a decent night sleep (finally).


11/27

Woke up at almost 8.45. Long sleep. Felt well. Had a great breakfast at out
neighbour hotel. Did the media. Then.. of course explore BKK. Since i know this
area well, i took the boat and went to chinatown.

Love it there. Reassembling new
moterbikes with all kind of parts of old motorbikes. It's great to see.
Ate fruits, mimosa's (kinda), drank coffee and went back. Feels great to be ...
"home".
Now going to update my blog (wifi is good here), Then do a run in the park accross
the highway.
Laterz...

Ran, showered, slept, went out. Couldn't find the rest of the group, so went to
this nice live music place and enjoyed myself there. Home at midnight. Star
trekked.


11/28

Woke up late (9.00). breakfast, media, long stroll in a (relatively) unknown part
of BKK. Nice to see. Coffee on KSR (backpackers area) and ran again. Showered, but
can't stop sweating it seems. Im leaking.
Laterz...

Went out for a couple, but returned home early for a good night sleep. And so i
did.


11/29

Woke up at 9 or so, breakfasted, did the media and ... slept again for 2 hours.
Long strolls in the afternoon,

Coffees, a Singha beer, shower, premierleague
football over a ceasar salade and a big Chang in my old hotel, where i always stay
when im here on my own.
On the way back, it shook me when i saw a 3 year old child sleeping (alone!) on
the pavement. Little cup by his side where some people had donated some money in.
It sadened me so....
Had a hard time falling asleep, despite the good star trek episode.

Week 22 (Vietnam)

11/16

Too tired for star trek. Slept like a log and woke up at 8.30. Did the media and
now going for beakfast. Think it rains again (can't tell from here (my room that
is)).
Went to the old, non touristic part of town. Good move, since: best ommelet ever
and a hugh mug of vietnamese coffee (30K vn), found some shaving cream (about
time, believe me), shelterd for 2 x rain (and met this lovely Oz couple) in a nice
cafe, long stroll. Sun shines now again, so... beach time. Yeah! Laterz.
Spend a long aftenoon in the waves and on the beach. Loved it. Did a 4K run after
that. Man! Showered, and now FB check, food and a Saigon green (guess what that
is).
Had the cheapest food (on the market, a nice noodle soup) and the cheapest beer
ever (2L for 25.000 dong (= 1 Euro)). Could not drink it all, so gave away half to
some american backpackers. Tried to watch a star trek episode, but fell asleep.


11/17

Woke up at 7, packed and hopped on the bus to Mui Ne. 6 hour drive. Arrived here
round 14.00. Unpacked, got a lovely little bungalow(ish) room. 2 hours of beach,
attempt to run, but.. i had no dry socks, so... think it's gonna be a saigon green
instead. Laterz...

Took me 2 hours walk to see all of the "new" Mui Ne. Place has changed
dramatically. Even more touristic then it already was. Could not find Joe's Bar
(where i played music 5 years ago). It seemed they had gone bankrupt. So sad,
since it was such a cosy place. There was a (new to me) Joe's Cafe though. Also
with live music. Nice place, but modern and touristic.
The walk ended up with a saigon green in a small friendly bar, next door, where im
going to have breakfast now (= 11/18)


11/18

Woke up at 8, did the media, getting breakfast now.
Did breakfast and a very nice coffee in the little fishers restaurants along the
seashore. Did my laundry, and went off for a long afternoon at the beach. I got
quit a nice tan now, i tell you.
Had a great diner at the Lam Tong family restaurant (where i met Paul and Hayley 5 years
ago). Place is still the same. Good seafood, and so close to the shore, that
sometimes you get wet, due to the breaking waves. Sipped a last saigon green next
door and tried to see a star trek episode, but it was so boring that i fell
asleep.


11/19

Woke up at 7.30, packed (a dog had stolen 1 slipper, but we found it back) and at
8 we were on the bus to Saigon (Ho Chi Min city). Arrived here at 14.00h. Nice
hotel, where i could immediately book a ticket for the 26th to BKK. Yes, that
means i stay here, leave the group and will not join them to Cambodia. (They will
visit Phnom Phen and Anchor Wat, which i did 5 years ago, so i prefer to explore
Saigon a bit more extensively). Well, here we are. Im about to do a good stroll,
laterz.

Strolls were fantastic. A feast of recognition. Glad i stay here for a week.
Already got options for other rooms as well. Strolled, ran (in the same park as 5
years ago; and man, talking about sweat.. leaking!) and ate late. Sipped a few
greens, chatted long, slept at 12 or so.


11/20

Woke up at 8... breakfasted.. found the war museum... strolled. Going to eat a
burger now. Laterz.

Sported the whole afternoon.... need to work on my condition. Also arranged
another hotel and some documents for leaving Vietnam and Thailand. Quit a bit of
work i must say. I had to disappoint the lady of the sister hotel, since that was
too far away. Felt a bit sorry for her, coz she was a very nice person.

When all was done I did a run in the park again. Now, FB check and food. Laterz.

Nights in Saigon, well always memorable... u stroll from one bar to another and so
i did. Ending up with Dennis in the bar accross the street. And when i end the
evening, drinking with Dennis... l'histoire se repet... Ouch... my head.


11/21

Rose at 8, to say goodbye to the rest of the group. I stay here for 5 more days,
as the rest will do Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. I did that 5 years ago extensively,
so, better explore Saigon a bit more. A few days on my own appeals to me as well.

So, at 11.00 i moved into a new hostel (same place where i was 5 years ago),
installed myself.
At 13.00 i strolled towards the harbor, went to the <name?>building (huge Mall
actually, very, very western). Ate a baquette, explored the local market and went
back. Slept for an hour or so.

The night... well, met some Ozzies, and they started drinking... and me... Anyway,
it was late when i came back (i think.. oopsy daisy).


11/22


Woke up at 8.30, did the media, had one of these fantastic Vietnamese coffees,
breakfasted and sported all afternoon. Need to, to get my system clean.
Now a run in the park.

Showered, shaved. Then i went out again, and drank some, again, it was late, again. But had a nice time again. So why bother?

Week 21 (Lao & Vietnam)

11/9

Woke up at 6.15, breakfasted and visited the Kong Lo caves together with Dennis. (Jean chickened out (which was actually a sensible thing to do, since it was a hard walk every now and then (and she's still recovering from a broken shoulder, so...))). The Kong Lo caves make you feel like being on another planet.

It was a combined boat trip and short parts to walk. Dennis and I shared a beer at 9 in the morning (record) (thinking that the trip had ended, but it turned out we were only half way...). Anyway, back at 10.30 or so and then a long truck drive ahead of us.
The ride to Savanakhet was a long one, but we arrived sound and safe. At the edge of town however, which is a bit of a let down, since i would have loved to have diner again at the floating restaurant on the Mekong river, just like i had 5 years ago. In stead, bought a few snacks, found a place where they showed premier league football, and had a cold beer Lao. Still a fine evening. Slept good (as always actually).


11/10

Woke up at 7.15. Packed in 10 minutes (i travel light, especially since we will be using public transport for the next 2 weeks (truck is not allowed to enter Vietnam and Cambodia)). Bought myself 4 great sandwiches and at 8.00 the truck brought us to the bus station (100 meters down the road, so walking would have been faster, but... some decisions, well ... have discussed that before).

The bus to Hue (on the Vietnamese coast) left at 9.00. I was sitting next to a very nice Vietnamese lady (with her little son), that spoiled me with fruits and sweets. Border crossing only took an hour (despite the chaos (partly caused by ourselves (some of us panic easily))), so we arrived in Hue at 6.45 or so. A taxi to the hostel (great hostel, clean and very cosy, but... lots of (young) tourists, so it's noisy. Never mind.
I thought i had never been in Hue, but.... one big trip down memory lane. I was here in 2010... nice to see it again though. Sipped a beer and slept at 11.00.



11/11

Woke up (in my 6 persons dorm room) at 7.30. Did a bit of laundry (i carey only my small day pack with me, so... have to do laundry every 2 or 3 days), breakfasted and did a long blog update. Need to publish week 20 too. Do that this afternoon.
Now for a stroll. Laterz...

The stroll was one big trip through memory lane... ;-) . Loved it though.

Updated my blog. Another long stroll to the citadel. Met Marianne there. Had a noodle soup, and stroleed back. Did a nap. Showered, 3rd stroll. Came back in the hostel and joined  the "Hanging Monkeys" for the pub quiz, that was won by us. Obviously. We celebrtaed. Heavily. As if we did not have to go to Hoi An the next day.. Hihi.

We ended up in a "night club" (ordinary disco). I was even biked to there by Melissa.

Came home around ... 2 (-ish ... I think ...). Slept well, although ... "comatized" is a better way to express that kind of sleep.


11/12

Got up at 7.15, Breakfasted, packed (not hungover (is that a good or a bad sign?)), and went to the sleeperbus (you get a kind of bed in stead of a normal chair) that took us to Hoi An.
Arrived here round 12.30. Checked the media and went for a long stroll to the beach. 100 meters before i got there it started to poor. Like really heavily. (We have had a  lot of rain over the past 2 weeks, while the mousson season stops normally end of August... climate change? Lots of locals think so.)
Found shelter in a nice little restaurant. Chatted with two very nice australian (Perth) tourists, had a fish soup (fresh!), and continued after the rain. Back at the hotel (very nice one; share with Carlos) at 6.30. Facebooked, ate, beered and updated blog. Laterz.


11/13

Woke up at 8.00, Spend way too much time on the internet (good wifi connection). Breakfasted terrificly near the old part of town. Did a good stroll...

Slept again (despite a 9 hour sleep last night), another stroll (coffees at restaurants near the river, waiting for the pooring rain, that didn't come, despite the pitch dark clouds), showered, ate, played pool with Carlos who won with luck: 2-1.
Downloaded some Alexei Sayle. Going to watch that now. Good night.

Watched till 2 AM ....


11/14

Woke up at 8.00, still a bit sleepy, but unable to sleep.
Going to get some breakfast i think. Laterz...

Same breakfast as yesterday, Strolled, coffeed, rented a bicycle, long stroll along the beach,another coffee at the market in the ancient part of town, picked up laundry, early diner, shopping, coz... we went on the nightbus to Nha Trang.
The nightbus was quit an experience. Busdrivers shouting at us to change places, even hitting people. Well, you can guess that it did not feel good. And then.. far too many people on one bus, so people slept in the aisles, to go short: big annoyment. Had a small meal at midnight and when we came back our blankets had been stolen. More annoyment and angry reactions to the three busdrivers.
Arrived here at last at 7 in the morning.


11/15

At the Blue Star Hotel. Nice place. Share room with Carlos again. He had a tough time with the driver, since he refused to change places. He stayed calm, which earned my respect. And so...
Carlos and I did a stroll along the beach and had one of these delicious vietnamese coffees. back in the hotel now, where the wifi refuses to come on. Laterz... beach time now!!! Coz, the rain has stopped and the sun has come through (dutchism?).

Took us more than 4 months to get to a beach, but ... man .. was that good. Huge waves, nice beach beds, sun, sudoku book... a lazy tourist was born. But ... rain came at 16.00 (or it looked like it), so... did a 5KM run (yes that's warm i can tell you). Showered, did the media, long strolls for food. Tired to the bone now. Start trek, but first see what my FB friends have done today. Laterz.